When your health isn’t on track and your systems are not working in harmony, your body can have cravings for sweet things. Let’s talk about some of the main reasons for those cravings you are having and some steps you can take to manage your sweet tooth.
One could be that you are low in a particular macronutrient like fat, protein or carbohydrates. If you are following the Standard American Diet, usually you will be low in fats or protein and your body will try to let you know this by having cravings. Also, when you eat a lot of food that is not nutrient dense your body will also have cravings because it is trying to tell you it needs more nutrients. If you eat more wholesome balanced meals it can eliminate your cravings.
Another common reason would be if you eat too many simple carbohydrates and sugar through out the day. For example, bagel or donut and coffee for breakfast, or if your lunch consists of a sandwich, chips and soda, or if dinner is pasta with bread and ice cream for dessert. There are a lot of simple carbs and sugar in these examples. These types of food affect your blood sugar very quickly and your body will ultimately release insulin to address the carb and sugar load, but when there is so much excess and not enough protein and fat to slow the intake of those carbohydrates then your body will over compensate and drop your blood sugar too low. Then when your body gets to that low point you will have cravings to get your blood sugar up so you can function again. You might reach for some chips or a candy bar, which are simple carbs, and you will in turn raise your blood sugar again creating this whole process over and over again. So lets talk about how we can fix this.
If you eat balanced meals and snacks with complex carbs like vegetables and fruits with a good amount of fat and protein then this type of situation wouldn’t happen. When you eat a balanced meal your blood sugar will increase slightly and then steadily decline when you need to eat again. This will happen slowly so you have time to eat another healthy meal and then this cycle will continue for each meal. Here is an example of balanced meals that will help control cravings.
- Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with onions, bell peppers, grass-fed cheese and a cup of fruit
- Lunch: Chicken with steamed vegetables, rice or cauliflower rice and a side spinach salad
- Dinner: Bison Meatball Spaghetti with zoodles (zuchinni noodles)
- Snacks: Gluten free trail mix with Chex cereal, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and a sprinkle of dark chocolate chips and dried fruit or rolled up lunch meat and cheese with apple slices, or gluten free toast with sunflower seed butter (I recommend the brand SunButter, it’s my favorite).
Here are some tips to help with cravings.
- Always eat breakfast, especially a balanced meal, but avoid sugary foods. Example: 1 cup steel cut oats with butter with breakfast sausage on the side, or scrambled eggs with a side cup of berries.
- Eat balanced meals or snacks every few hours so that you don’t let your blood sugar drop too low. If it does drop too low that is when you crave sugar or bread like carbs to provide a raise in your blood sugar and glucose to the brain so that your body has energy to function.
- Avoid refined, processed and packaged carbohydrates and sugar because these cause drops and spikes in your blood sugar levels that lead to the carb and sugar cravings.
Hopefully these suggestions can get your health on track and your systems working in harmony! If you are looking for more meal suggestions, sign up to receive my free meal plan delivered right to your inbox. If you are looking for more personalized assistance please drop me an email and let me know how I can help you!